People smugglers 'marketing tool squashed'

A migration regulation that the opposition claims will have people smugglers photocopying and laminating to use as a "marketing tool" for asylum seekers has been quashed in the Senate.

The coalition and Greens teamed up on Wednesday to support a disallowance motion for a migration amendment in the Senate.

The motion was passed 37 to 25.

The federal government said the regulation's purpose was "administrative" to allow asylum seekers on bridging visas, granted by the Immigration Minister, to extend visas through the Immigration Department once they had expired.

That meant the asylum seekers would not have to be sent back to detention centres.

Liberal senator Michaelia Cash told the chamber people smugglers could use that regulation as a "marketing tool".

"People smugglers will probably laminate a copy of the regulation and hand it out to (asylum seekers) as their money back guarantee that the minute they get to Christmas Island they are guaranteed a free passage to Australia," Senator Cash said.

Labor cabinet minister Joe Ludwig said it was an administrative burden to re-detain people.

It was inconvenient for asylum seekers on the bridging visas to miss work or school classes in order to have their paperwork updated.

He said they had already undergone basic health identity and security checks did not pose an unacceptable risk to the Australian community.

Senator Ludwig failed in pleas to Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young to support the government, as the Greens sided with the coalition.

Senator Hanson-Young told the chamber keeping people in detention was costly and was not a deterrence.

But she said the Greens would not support the federal government unless it gave more detail on Wednesday's announcement about rolling bridging visas for asylum seekers arriving post-August 13, 2012.

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